The Easter egg in Android N Dev Preview 5 will have you catching virtual cats (Updated)

Update (7/19): You guys, I caught a cat. I received a notification last night telling me that I caught cat #150.

Once you tap on the notification you can either share your new friend or rename it. Oh, and after you catch one for yourself, the quick settings tile that was once populated with a tasty treat will turn back into an empty dish.

Normally you’d be able to navigate to your Android version number in the About phone section, tap a few times, and pull up a hidden Easter egg. This time, though, tapping on the “N” logo would only bring up a no entry sign and a cat emoji. Very weird, right? You’ll quickly find that there’s a method to Google’s madness.

Once you’re on the screen with the cat emoji, pull down your quick settings menu, then tap the Edit button. You’ll notice there’s a new quick setting toggle called “???? Android Easter Egg.” Drag and drop that into your quick settings panel and let the fun begin.

When you exit out of the Edit screen, that quick settings tile has turned into an Empty dish. Tap on it, and you’ll be presented with an option to select from four different cat treats: Bits, Fish, Chicken and Treat. Once you choose one, that treat will populate in the quick settings tile.

Apparently, this will help you lure in your very own digital cat. What exactly does that mean? According to the folks at Droid Life, putting the right food item in the shade at the right time will help you catch a cat. Once a cat has been caught, you’ll get a notification saying you’ve successfully caught one. You’ll then be presented with an Easter egg UI with a list of all the cats you’ve caught.

Putting the two words together kind of sounds like 'Nougat'

I personally haven’t caught any cats yet, but maybe you’ll have better luck than me.

You might be wondering – why the no entry sign and the cat emoji? Well, if you put the two together – No Cat – it sort of sounds like “Nougat.” That might seem like a stretch, but I wouldn’t put it past Google to include something like this in the OS (especially in a developer preview).

Now, there’s no telling as to whether or not the Easter egg will change when the stable version of Nougat hits later this summer, but we’re sure hoping this one sticks around. What are your thoughts? Digging this fun little game, or were you hoping for something a little different? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!